Legend of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel is the first title in The Legend of Heroes series' Trails of Cold Steel subseries. It follows the adventures of Rean and his friends as they attend a prestigious military academy and travel across the continent.
The battle system is turn-based, where you move characters around and use skills (known as Arts and Crafts) to affect multiple enemies. These skills can hit enemies in a line, circle, or box, similar to Chrono Trigger.
Character progression is interesting, as you equip orbs to enhance stats, learn new skills, and acquire bonuses. This system is similar to the Materia system in Final Fantasy VII, but it's much less exploitable.
When exploring locations, you can slash at enemies before battles to gain an advantage, find treasure chests, and speak to many unique characters while completing side-quests.